Big Win/Big Lose

Well today, we had both a big win, and what I would consider a big loss.

I hadn't been out to the barn in a few days (3) and figured rather than drilling dressage, I would play around with some poles/random stuff and see if I could challenge Zim's brain in a more fun way.

The arena at the barn has three entrances, 2 of them are pretty normal gates, but the entrance from the upper barn is actually a ramp into the arena, about 3.5/4ft wide, with a 6" drop step into the arena. Its rather dark, somewhat spooky and I figured we would walk that way into the arena today. Zim was a superstar. He was nervous, snorted a bit and definitely gave me the look of "uhm, no way in hell". But I was persistent with him. I've quickly realized that pressuring him heavily does NOT work. He shuts down, backs up, spins around and just stops listening if I try the "get yer ass over here" method. Instead, he really succeeds when I am slow, paitient and encouraging. We walked up to the step, I gave him a pat as he smelled around and snorted. Then I faced forward and just walked. He stopped and tried to go backwards, but instead of correcting him, I asked him to stop, waited for him to relax again, and then asked him forward again. This time he sort of scrambled down the ramp and hopped down the step, stopped in the arena and looked at me like "whoa".

I praised him like he had just won Rolex and marched him up and down a couple more times (until he walked calmly next to me). Each time I praised him and gave him a head rub.

I'm still not 100% I trust him to be left tied, so I am going to start cross-tying him and then walking around the corner (where he can't see me) for extended periods. He seems to grasp the concept, and hasn't tested it yet, but I don't 100% trust him not to pull back and try to test the bounds of the cross-tye. This is one thing he really needs to learn, as I often have to run to my car, etc.

Tacking up I noticed he was standing semi-funny, compared to how he normally stands. He usually rests a hind, but this:

Is a bit different than he normally stands (excuse the one boot).

I decided to tack him up anyways, but paranoid me (with two previously injured horses) was definitely watchful. I tacked up and hopped on. I know many people lunge first, but for some reason I always feel lameness/stiffness better from up top first.

I don't know his trot very well, and I don't know this horse very well, but something in his trot didn't feel right. It wasn't bad, not really head bobbing, but his hind end just felt, disconnected.

I hopped off and threw a lungeline on him. Trotted to the left, I could see something wasn't really right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnjOIaTi-CY

I'm not an expert by any means at lameness, but to me, it looks like he is moving funky up high in the left hip/stifle. (Oddly the stifle that we didn't find anything in - though he does have a bone spur in that hock).

To the right, he looks better:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzzYiOpZuao&feature=related

But I still see something. Maybe I am paranoid, maybe its something minor, but I can still feel the pit in my stomach. What the hell am I going to do if I just put myself into financial strain to buy my dream horse and less than a month later he is lame?

*deep breath*

He was out in the big pasture, and its entirely possibly he just tweaked it funny being a dork and its nothing serious. Or is he stiff because I hadn't ridden? Maybe I should have ridden him through it? I'm not entirely sure. But hes getting tonight off, and I'll evaluate on Wednesday what the hell to do.

:(

I didn't want the night to be a wash, so I decided even if he was sore, I'd still work on something mentally with him. Enter:

I know, its terrifying right? Zim considers these ground poles cause for snorting, and avoiding at all costs. Which is going to make his life as a jumper difficult (though maybe he won't touch much eh?).

We walked up to it, and I stood on the pole, my boots make a loudish tapping nose, so he immediately got snorty, put his head down and stared at the horse-eating wooden obstacle. I ignored him (as long as he did NOT move backwards) and tap-danced my way along the pole. When that didn't seem to bother him anymore, I rubbed his head and asked him to step forward, he immediately dropped his head and snorted again (2 inches closer...within striking distance you know). We did this a few times until he seemed bored (remember: as long as he didn't move back, I didn't do much). Less than a minute later, he hurriedly stepped over the pole, and received his forehead rubs.

We did this a couple times (immediately he didn't stop at it, just looks and then rushes over). I wanted to make sure he wasn't nervous, so I walked him up and asked him to whoa as he was halfway over.

^proof

I made him stand like that and relax, both directions. From there he was walking over it like an old pro, so I let him be done for the night.

Coming soon: We tackle the striped and even more terrifying poles.

So while his lameness makes me really nervous (I'm going to tell myself not to stress just yet), I'm really proud of him listening to me, and learning that when I ask him to move forward over something, he doesn't get an option. Surprisingly, I think its less that he is nervous and more that he doesn't want too, and doesn't realize there is no option.

*fingers crossed for Zim*

Progress...

Well, if no one sees it, I feel progress.

Zim now stands for mounting. We seem to have reached a mutual agreement, that I will do my best not to jab him in the side, and he will stand until I am mostly seated, before walking off. I think its a fair deal. Its never bothered me when a horse walks off while mounting, as long as he doesn't step sideways. So I take this as a win.

He is cross-tying. I haven't actually hooked him on the other side (just looped the lead through), but he seems to be respecting it, and I think it won't be long before he is just fine with that. He has also been better with dealing with my spastic ways while tacking up. He doesn't seem to "wtf is the lady doing" and more "hi mom, stop being silly".

Zim is smart. I am constantly astounded by how smart. Its both good and bad. He will take advantage of me if I let him, but he also learns fast and doesn't seem to need 20 minutes of refresher with every ride like Penny did. Once its there, he remembers.

Yesterday during our ride, he was actually counter-bending both directions. Not much, just enough that I could get a slight lift in his shoulder and push him over. But he would willingly do it on both sides, and not just the left. He was doing so well we did some spiral in/out on a circle at both the walk and trot (trot not so great, but better!). He struggles to take more than a few steps, but can do maybe 1/4 of a circle without being frustrated. I was really proud.

His canter transitions were a bit sloppy. He bucked/spooked/took off with me going to the left for the first depart, but I got him under control and he was fine. He just needs a bit more confidence from his rider. I have no problem with that, I am just not used to it.

It wasn't a long ride, as I would rather have a few small successes that a super long, frustrating ride.

My next obstacle (on top of everything else), is to put a few poles in the arena and work on building up his confidence there.

Wish me luck.

Now on to the training..

Well, while I still feel like Zim and I are in the "who the f- are you" phase of buying a new horse. I also feel like our rides have progressed a bit from "where are all the buttons?" to "Lets learn something".

Zim is smart. Probably smarter than most of the horses I am used too. He learns something and it seems to stay relatively fresh in his brain. He also does NOT like to be corrected. Honestly, he rides a bit like my mares, you ask, you ask, but you don't tell.

Yesterday I had a fantastic ride. I started out on a long rein, working mostly on impulsion and energy over his back. Then spent maybe 10 minutes just trotting on a looseish rein, working on getting him to relax and give me a slow, long and graceful trot. He will do it for a moment, then tense and speed up, which causes him to get super crooked and choppy. So we did lots of this, me half-halting and asking him to relax, him relaxing then speeding back up. He is going to have such a nice trot when he learns to relax and find a bit more rythm.

After working on that for a while (my legs were getting tired from posting....ugh I am so out of shape!), I collected him up and started asking him for the bend. I started to left (his good side - because he can fall on the right rein). On the straight I would ask him to tip his nose to the outside, and lift his shoulder up and to the inside. He can only give me maybe a half step, but opposed to the temper tantrum he threw the day before, its progress.

To the left, he tried to run out and ignore me, but after correcting him a few times he managed to give me a decent try to the right. I praised him profusely (which he loves - I swear he is a bit insecure and needs pats all the time). We had 1 second flashes where he would stay in my outside rein (to the right), and then fall back into the right rein. Once he is lifting he shoulder a bit more consistently, I think some spiral in-out will really help him stay in that outside rein and help with the crookedness.

Tracking one direction (I think to the left) he feels super crooked and a little off (not lame, just choppy - I think as a result of the crookedness). So thats a priority.

Broke up a lot of the bending at the walk to do long rein trots. I'm not strong enough to really hold myself in a way that would make working on bending effective right now, so I don't want to confuse him more. I'm close, and I feel stronger, but I just don't want to screw up what I am doing at a walk.

Ended the ride with a canter each direction. God, I fall in love with that horses canter. It makes my hips hurt a bit because its so big, but its just so collected, cadenced and light. If I can get that at the trot, I will have success.

We ended the ride (while I am rubbing his neck and telling him what a superstar he is), with a fantastic teleport. What does he spook at? The pile of poles/jump standards outside the arena. *sigh*. I worry a bit he won't be brave enough to jump and hope this is just a phase.

I think I'll start placing poles in the arena and making him walk/trot over them during our rides.

First Ride

Yesterday marked my first ride with Zim (minus when I tried him). I learned quite a few things, but the biggest one was:

Holy Shit I am out of shape.

I rode for approx. 25 minutes, and felt exhausted. Today, my legs are sore, my butt is sore, and my arms are sore. What the hell I was thinking buying a fit young OTTB, when I am an out of shape rider, is beyond me. Kidding...its not so bad, I just need to get my butt in gear.

Zim is in his new home (a paddock with run-in stall), and seems happy. Though he desperately needs a blanket, as he was covered in mud and disgusting when I found him and pulled him out. We practiced cross-tying while I groomed him (one tie clips, the other looped through his halter) and he was a very good boy. Stood quietly with minimal pawing and head bobbing. He's a bit of an attention hog, and would paw when I went into the tack room, but nothing that won't be fixed by some hours standing.

Zim loves being groomed. More than any TB I have ever worked with. He turns his head to the side and bobs when you rub any of his favorite spots (forehead, throatlatch, chest, haunches). As long as I used a soft curry on him, he will stand quietly to be groomed.

Hurray! My saddle fits him decently. Its not perfect, and when I save up some money I will have him fitted, but its passable, and doesn't pinch anywhere. So while I'm not the owner of the year for riding him in it, its not going to hurt him or cause him pain until I find something else.

Mounting needs a bit of work. Zim doesn't like to be jabbed in the side while mounting, and will sidepass away when this occurs. Gracefully climbing up a 16.2H horse without touching their side however, is a feat I barely mastered. For the first 5 minutes I worked with him on standing quietly, being a bit less sensitive, as well as working on the best way to mount that wouldn't bump his side. We seem to have reached an agreement, but it's something I will need to watch when I mount.

My new boy is a bit of a crooked drunk. He can't walk straight to save his life, and to the right, he drops his shoulder to the outside and throws his haunches in. In turn, this makes my hips split, and I struggle to keep him straight. I kept reminding myself to bring my hips back to center and push his haunches back out to the rail.

On a postive note, he has some of the cleanest gaits to work with. He has so much energy coming up over his back. I can feel the power of him engaging over his back even when I'm not collecting him up at all. He wants to be there, but unless I get him straight and rythmic he just doesn't quite find that happy place.

His trot is going to be his weakest gait. His walk is powerful, he steps from behind and while it will be fun (not) to get him straight, I can see now he will get good marks on his walk. His trot however, is crooked, and a bit out of sorts. We spent most of the ride last night on a loose rein, working on slowing his trot down to find a solid rythm. He tends to fall either fast/tense, or breaks gait to a walk. A gorgeous trot is in there, he just hasn't quite figured out where it is. I'm hoping in the next weeks/months we can get his trot more adjustable and loose.

His canter is by far his best gait. Still crooked, still on the forehand, but he has more energy over his back, and more cadence than any other gait. He needs a LOT of transitions (To the right is still a bit of a trot.trot.trot.trot.catrotcantrotcantetrotcanter) and a lot of 20 meter circles to teach him to relax and bend a bit.

I think he may need his teeth done sooner than 6 months (the vets rec.). He grinds a bit undersaddle and I'd like to have him looked at in the next month or so to see if that might help with his bending/crooked head.

All in all, a good ride. I didn't accomplish much training as it was more of an eval.

On the way back to the pasture we shared an apple. Zim doesn't like to bit his own chunks, so I bit him pieces and shared them with him while he walked. It was pretty cute.